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Expect Tentacruel to see a rise in usage than ever before with Rain Dish, Liquid Ooze (to toy with those Ferrothorn), its Fight resist, usage of Toxic Spikes being more useful than ever (and also to protect the likes of other bulky Waters or something like Hippowdon).

Also, Scald. It contradicts with T Spikes a little, but still. And, of course, it gets the extra boost off Rain. Also for new STAB moves are Venoshock, Acid Spray, and Sludge Wave. Giga Drain got buffed, which Cruel appreciates.

The upgraded Magic Coat gives Tentacruel brand new troll options, especially as a lead. If you want to lead, other Item choices are Shuca Berry, Air Balloon, and Payapa Berry (Psychic).

I guess Tentacruel got hurt with Rest's nerf, but RestCruel wasn't all that common anyway.

I got no idea whether Swords Dance Tentacruel will see popularity, especially with the introduction of Acid Spray. I mean, Cruel does have Rain Dish now and I guess Thrash got buffed?

Anyway, Tentacool really benefits in LC with Eviolite. Cool fills many LC niches such as being an effective Rapid Spinner and T Spiker, as well has having diverse moves, especially Acid Spray.

Move Issues - Acid Spray Tentacruel Edition
Acid Spray. I love the name and effects. However, you have a few issues using it.

Most importantly, you can't hit Steel Types with it, so you have to find an alternate route around that. Often that'll be your Water STAB, unless it's against Empoleon. Steel Types (for the most part) have lower Sp.Def, anyway, but that doesn't mean they'll give up a free switch-in. Durant is especially hazardous due to better Speed and Thunder Fang.

Second, and still rather unfortunate, is Clear Body and White Smoke. You may not see much of White Smoke (Torkoal and the currently unreleased DW Heatmor), but Clear Body (Tentacruel, Regirock, and Regice) is still a threat. Against Regirock, not so much, but other 'cruel and Regice have significant Sp.Def. I excluded the Steel Types from Clear Body due to issue #1.

Finally, getting a "free shot" on a switch is not so fun if you Acid Spray a Defiant Ability Pokemon. Your Defense is already dire, so you may have issue from Scarfed Primeape, Purugly (not very threatening in and of itself, but can be a hazard), and DW Tornadus & Thundurus (not yet released, but can be a problem if they choose to go Physical).

I love Acid Spray, but hate these drawbacks. It's not enough to deter me, so if you can swing it, go for the fences...

The pkmn I think that is the counter-supreme is a psychic type that is faster than tenta and has a good base attack + stab zen headbutt... if it hits tenta before he can barrier, then tentacruel is dead.

† I am a Christian and proud of it! Copy and paste this if you are too.†

The pkmn I think that is the counter-supreme is a psychic type that is faster than tenta and has a good base attack + stab zen headbutt... if it hits tenta before he can barrier, then tentacruel is dead.

The only way to get a faster, STAB Zen Headbutt at all is to use Azelf (4th Gen Tutor), Lati@s, non-defense Deoxys, Lugia (4th Gen Tutor), Espeon (4th Gen Tutor), Mewtwo (4th Gen Tutor), Chlorophyll-boosted Exeggutor (4th Gen Tutor), Alakazam (4th Gen Tutor), or Arceus (4th Gen Tutor). Similarly, only Mewtwo and Alakazam will have faster, STAB Psycho Cut. None of these (apart from Azelf, Deoxys, and Arceus) have use-Physical-over-Special oriented stats, but there is another Move you forgot about...

Apart from Mewtwo's Psystrike, no Special Move has a better punch against 'cruel than Psyshock. Alakazam, Chlorophyll-boosted Exeggutor, Starmie, Espeon, Lugia, Lati@s, non-defense Deoxys, Azelf, Arceus, and Swoobat are the only ones who carry better Speed and STAB Psyshock (Mewtwo learns it, too, but has access to Psystrike and already outclasses 'cruel). If you'll remember, Psyshock and Psystrike use your Sp.Atk against the target's Defense instead of their Sp.Def - a major nail in 'cruel's Special-Wall-coffin...

Tentacruel has an issue with Ferrothorn. Since Rain Dish is more likely to be used, Leech Seed and Power Whip will bring the jellyfish down. Toxicroak can switch into any water attack thanks to dry skin and removes Toxic Spikes by hitting the field and return fire with Sucker Punches, Thunder Punches it may be packing, or Stone Edge. Latios floats over Toxic Spikes can completely destroy Tentacruel with Psyshock. Multiscale Dragonite can survive Ice Beam if its at full health and unload an Outrage.
Ultimately, the way to bring down Tentacruel is to avoid Toxic Spikes and hit it hard for physical damage. It can be tricky though.

This set does amazing things. It stalls, it sets up TSpikes, it spins away Stealth Rock, it cripples sweepers, it's amazing. It should only be used in rain though for it to work. Toxic Spikes is of course on all Tenty sets, along with Rapid Spin to support your team if they are weak to Stealth Rock, which can win you games. Protect stalls the Black Sludge and Rain Dish so that you can heal for a whole bunch of HP, and Scald stops and destroys all physical powerhouses and burns Pokemon that are immune to TSpikes like Scizor. It is the ultimate support set that does it all at once.

This set takes advantage of Tentacruel learning not only Toxic Spikes, but two moves that will double in power on a poisoned foe (OK, Hex does that with any status, but you get the idea). Lay the Toxic Spikes down (alternatively, just go ahead and Toxic the foe that's out right there), and once you're facing a poisoned foe, go with either Hex or the STAB Venoshock. Hydro Pump is for STAB and massive damage, and works well in the rain (as does Tentacruel itself).

Item is to dissuade Trick usage, as they'll only be hurting themselves. Also helps with recovery. Ability allows Tentacruel to further recover off any taken damage.

A more defensive Tentacruel. Takes advantage of that nice Special Defense and decent HP. Substitute is for stalling purposes, as is Protect. Scald is prevention against becoming total Taunt bait, as well as that nice burn chance. Barrier works on Tentacruel's Defense, though alternatively, Toxic or Toxic Spikes could work for support (rather counterproductive with Scald, though).

Item is obvious. Ability is like a second Black Sludge, helping to heal off damage from enemy attacks and Substitutes. That's where Protect plays in, BTW.

Surprisingly, Tentacruel's Attack stat doesn't totally suck (a shame the same can't be said for its movepool). Waterfall and Return provide decent coverage together, and Poison Jab is for additional STAB.

Item and ability are to ensure maximum recovery of HP on the set-up turn, and possibly allow for a second use of Swords Dance. Make up for the awful coverage a bit, as it were.

Other options:
*Tentacruel gets Rapid Spin, but thanks to the emergence of Magic Bounce Espeon, spinners are becoming rather obsolete. Besides, Tentacruel can't exactly afford to miss out on another move.
*Acid Spray is a novel idea for an offensive Tentacruel that's not running Specs.
*Haze is an option on the defensive set, to discourage enemy set-up.
*Wring Out is a decent option, but given the popularity of entry hazards, it's not likely to hit maximum damage too often.
*Blizzard is an option over Ice Beam, but none too practical, given that Tentacruel isn't exactly the best choice for a Hail team, and one wouldn't use Blizzard against a Hail team either.

Abilities:
*Clear Body: Prevents stat drops inflicted by opponents. A decent ability in and of itself, but not exactly the best choice for Tentacruel. Intimidate is the only really common means of lowering stats, and on the one set where it uses its Attack stat, it has Swords Dance anyway. I suppose it could prevent a gimmicky Acid Spray set from an Eelektross or something.
*Liquid Ooze: Foes that use draining moves have their HP reduced instead of restored. Dissuades the ever-popular usage of Leech Seed, and that's always a plus.
*Rain Dish: Tentacruel's Hidden Ability. In the rain, basically functions as a second set of Black Sludge. Do want. Very much so.

Partners:
As the majority of Tentacruel sets run Rain Dish, you want Politoed on your team. You'll also want Payback Conkeldurr, or really, anything that can handle Jellicent.

Counters:
Jellicent walls Tentacruel to Hell and back, but can't exactly do much in return. It can, however, burn Tentacruel. A burn doesn't destroy Tentacruel (barring the Swords Dance set), but it does offset the benefits of Black Sludge and Rain Dish. More effective counters include stuff in the way of Gyarados- immune to Toxic Spikes, and threatens Tentacruel with the almighty and super-effective Earthquake that hits its lacking Defense. Reuniclus doesn't take damage from status and threatens to OHKO with Psychic (or worse- Psyshock). Bear in mind, however, that though Reuniclus is immune to poison damage, it's not immune to poison itself, and is thus still wide open for a full-power super-effective Hex. Also, Stunfisk takes the Specs set's attacks like a boss, sets up with Curse, and force-feeds Tentacruel an Earthquake in return.

Opinion:
Tentacruel is cool. One of the classic Poison-types, and it has a badass design that's hard to top. Good stats and moves on top of that are what keeps Tentacruel at the top.

Ahh, Hex. A wonderful Move with Scald, Sludge Bomb, and Ice Beam (if you can get a lucky freeze). The trick is to keep it for a surprise shot.

Status play in general is great in 'cruel's hands...er, tentacles:
-Jellicent still walling you despite a Status on it? Hex it. It can't take too many of the doubled, Super-Effective Move and barely does much to you itself.
-If you're Scald Burning Pokemon left-and-right, Ferrothorn has a difficult switch-in. Not so much once it does get in, though, because you'll have to be extra careful.
-Guts Pokemon are a little tricky. Once you're ID'd as a status flinger, Guts Pokemon will line up for a little something extra and "shoot the clerk" for the effort.
-Hex and Venoshock, as preciously mentioned, both get the boost if you Poison or Toxic Poison a foe. Just beware of Immunity and Guts Ability Pokemon for obvious reasons.
-Being an annoyance with status while constantly chipping HP off with offense is huge. Learning Scald and Sludge Bomb - and both as STAB no less - keeps your opponent on the defensive. However, you will have issue with Milotic due to Mirror Coat, Recover, and Marvel Scale Ability (not so much for 'cruel, but its replacement, maybe).
-Mirror Coat is another reason why Physical is still an option for 'cruel. Poison Jab, Waterfall with (hopefully) higher Speed, and Secret Power (3rd/4th Gen TM) keep you in the Status game if you go Physical.

Why is there any justification for giving Tentacruel Leftovers over Black Sludge?

Black Sludge means Lefties can go to another teammate and not break the Item Clause

Black Sludge is beneficial only to Poison-type Pokémon, so if it's Trick'd/Switcheroo'd/Thief'd away, it'll be to that Pokémon's detriment (unless they happen to be a Poison-type, obviously)

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but for all Poison-types, Black Sludge > Leftovers (unless another Poison-type in the team is holding it obviously.)

the black sludge could be tricked and even if it is not a poison type it could be given to another pokrmon in yourparty

Basically, insurance for 'cruel's non-Poison-Type allies. If your opponent takes your Black Sludge, they'll likely pawn it off on another of your Pokemon instead of returning it to 'cruel. Both of Tentacruel's attack stats are mediocre, making it unlikely to 1-shot at a swap meet.

Bottom Line: They'll try to leave you with 2 useless items instead of 1 if you run Black Sludge over Leftovers on 'cruel. While some Poison Types have the offense to down an item-switcher after they take their Black Sludge, Tentacruel does NOT have that luxury.

Don't look at this set and think "WTF!?" With a double drop in thier Sp. Def stat, opponents won't want to hang around for the Scald. If the opponent does stay in, more fool them! Knock Off will deprive an opponent of their precious item and, if Tentacruel has had its Black Sludge Thief/Switcheroo/Trick'd away, the opponent won't be able to pass it on to any of your non-Poison teammates. The last move is purely filler: Aqua Ring will stack brilliantly with the Black Sludge and Rain Dish recovery (provided there is rain support available), whereas Rapid Spin will provide support for any SR/Spikes that are set up.

Tentacruel has been fighting in the upper tiers for a long time for a good reason: a rare and nice typing, a good movepool and good stats.Set Name: Support Jellyfish
Ability: Rain dish
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP, 240 Def, 16 Spe
-Scald/Surf
-Toxic Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Protect/Ice Beam
Tentacruel has nice defences, Rain dish, Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin, so it can support his team in many ways. Scald is usually the best option on a bulky water, but many opponents will be poisoned by the Toxic Spikes, so you may just use the more powerful Surf as those opponents won't get burnt. For the last moveslot Protect works well with both Toxic Spikes and Leftovers/Rain Dish, while Ice Beam adds coverage.
Max HP is necessary to maximize both your defences, 240 EVs in defence with Bold nature to take well hits from both the sides of the spectrum, 16 EVs in speed allow you to outspeed neutral 70 base speed like Breelom and Metagross.Other Options
Personally I think that those moves are good enough. Not many other options to use...Partners
Drizzle Politoed or Rain Dance users to activate your ability. Ferrothorn has a scary good sinergy with rain and Tentacruel. Poison types can be annoying as they absorb your Toxic Spikes, so you can use a ground or a psychic type.Counters
Jellicent blocks your Rapid Spin and is immune to your water move, but it hates Toxic Spikes. Electric pokemon can hit you very hard with a Thunder(bolt). Grass/Poison types absorb your Toxic Spikes and are not threatened by your water attack. Reuniclus doesn't care about poison and can set up on you or just whipe you out with a psychic attack.

Set Name: Specially Offensive Cruel
Ability: Rain dish/Liquid Ooze
Item: Life Orb/Choice Specs
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 4 HP, 252 SpAtk, 252 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Giga Drain/Toxic Spikes
-Rapid Spin/Toxic Spikes/Hidden Power [Fire]
This is an offensive set. Seems outclessed Starmie, but Tentacruel has some different resists, a better special defence, Rain Dish for passive recovery and absorbs Toxic Spikes when comes into play. Hydro Pump is the preffered option as 80 base SpAtk isn't a lot. Ice Beam is obbligatory useful coverage. Giga Drain covers water types, while T-Spikes and Rapid Spin can be used as you will force some switches. Hidden Power [Fire] is recomended outside of the rain as without it the thorny steel/grass thing owns you.Other Options
You may use a poison move for STAB, expecially if you're using Choice Specs in the rain. Sludge Wave (Bomb) are powerful, but they give you pityful coverage.Partners
Same stuff as before.Counters
Pink fat blobs. Special walls in general. Jellicent blocks Rapid Spin too. Thundurus, Jolteon, Alakazam all check you. Dugtrio traps and kills you.

Set Name: A jellyfish playing with swords???
Ability: Rain dish/Liquid Ooze
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Jolly/Adamant
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
-Swords Dance
-Waterfall
-Poison Jab
-Payback/Hidden Power [Fire]/Substitute/Rapid Spin
Phisical sweeper set. Swords Dance doubles you attack and makes you powerful. Your water and poison STAB surprisingly get good coverage together. The last move is a filler. Payback is your best weapon against Jellycent, while Hidden Power [Fire] roasts your thorny friend when used outside of the rain. Substitute is a good move. Rapid Spin if you feel like you are an Excadrill.Other Options
Qwilfish. Same moves, more attack, less speed, Swift Swim, Explosion, less bulk, no Rain Dish. It's difficult to choose which one to use. You can use a Baloon and become the jellyfishy version of Excadrill, but you will probably just fail... Partners
Same stuff as before.Counters
The bane of all water types: the thorny Steel/Grass thing. Phisical walls not weak to one of your STABs. Jellicent, Skarmory. Thundurus, Jolteon, Alakazam all check you. Dugtrio traps and kills you.

Tentacruel @ Life Orb/ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish/ Liquid Ooze
Nature: Timid/ Modest
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpAtk/ 252 Spe
-Rapid Spin
-Hydro Pump/ Surf/ Scald
-Slime Wave/ Acid Spray
-Toxic Spikes
I use this set a lot. Its used for Rapid Spin support and can fill in as a lead, which is pretty useful in Wifi. The basic idea was to "bluff" a TSpikes set, since its main focus is not to TSpike, against stuff like Aero and hit hard, and stuff with Sashes, like Aero, would eat die with their hazards gone. The STAB Water move of choice here is Hydro Pump, as with Life Orb taking a toll on Cruel, plus who knows what other residual damage he could be taking, Tentacruel ain't gonna last long, even with Rain Dish recovery, so you'll want to do as much damage as possible before you die or switch out. Surf is a weaker alternative but more accurate... Scald is for burn chance... Slime Wave is for STAB and has ok coverage (sorta) with Hydro Pump, but Acid Spray softens the opponent for either Tenta's STAB Water move or one of his teammates.

The only issue I have is with the mediocrity of its attack stats and HP. You can do so many wonderful things, but you're basically the Final Fantasy Time Mage or Team Fortress 2 Medic: Great to use, but not as a solo character.

You'll definitely need to build a good offense with 'cruel starring in a strong, supporting role. You can pressure opponents to play head games wonderfully with this one and won't be disappointed.

Start off with Wring Out, a move that does not suffer from Tentacruel's low Attack, and instead causes damage based on the opponent's current HP. Follow up that attack with repetitive Poison Jabs until the opponent is poisoned, then use Hex before they are healed by their trainer to dish out massive damage. Blizzard is a backup move for any time that this strategy may hit a snag (Dragon-types, anyone?), or if you need to make some time to heal. Clear Body helps in it's own little way by preventing stat lowering, and Black Sludge will keep Tentacruel alive just that much longer, and will keep Theif users at bay.

Last edited by pokemonranger7098; 22nd October 2011 at 11:31 PM.

----------------------------------------------------------------I have claimed Trubbish and the Rickroll!

Black Sludge could be useful if you wanted to be tricky. If an enemy uses trick and takes black sludge, swap in a non-poison type, usually bulky. Then, swap tentacruel back in. After which, you can swap in a pokemon who could take advantage of a choice item or one that already has a choice item.

"Support" is the first word that pops into the head of many players when they see Tentacruel. They are correct, as Tentacruel is a great choice for a variety of support roles, including laying down Toxic Spikes and removing entry hazards. Tentacruel also possesses a base Speed of 100, an acceptable Special Attack stat and a wide offensive movepool, allowing it to fit on offensive and balanced teams just as well as on stall teams.

Unfortunately, Tentacruel has an awfully low Defense stat for a support Pokemon. This is compounded by a weakness to the ever-common Earthquake. Despite this, Tentacruel is a wonderful support Pokemon and should always be considered if you are in need of a defensive (or even offensive) Pokemon.

This set uses Tentacruel's ability to lay down Toxic Spikes and spin other hazards away, making it a nice addition to stall, semi-stall, and even balanced teams, particularly those that make use of rain. As an additional bonus, Tentacruel can absorb Toxic Spikes on your side of the field simply by switching in. Its Water and Poison typing, along with its great Special Defense, enables it to switch into a variety of attacks in order to set up hazards or spin them away. Recovering 12.5% of its health every turn in the rain, Tentacruel can then become very difficult to take down. Scald is Tentacruel's best STAB move, offering an excellent 30% burn rate to offset Tentacruel's poor Defense stat. Surf is a decent option instead, as it packs good power, especially in rain, and does not conflict with Toxic Spikes. Protect is the primary option for the last slot, as it allows Tentacruel to recover another 12.5% of its health in the rain, while scouting the opponents move, and forcing them to take additional Toxic damage. Ice Beam allows Tentacruel to hit Dragon- and Grass-types foes, although, be warned, the damage output will still not be great. Hex is an option to take on Jellicent, Dusclops and other spinblockers, though Tentacruel will still struggle to break through them, and Toxic Spikes are required for the move to be remotely useful.